Safety
First Pipeline Safety Bill Introduced
Two Massachusetts senators, one of them a Democratic presidential candidate, have introduced the first pipeline safety bill as Congress works to put together legislation reauthorizing the Pipeline Safety Act, which expires on Sept. 30.
NTSB Reveals Findings of 3-Year Gas Explosion Investigation
A gas company’s faulty equipment is the most likely cause of an explosion at a suburban Maryland apartment complex that killed seven people in 2016, according to federal report.
Iranian Gas Platform Fire Contained, No Fatalities Reported
A fire that broke out on a platform of the South Pars gas field in the Gulf on Wednesday has been contained and no fatalities were reported, Iran's oil ministry news agency SHANA said.
5 Workers Hurt in Houston-Area Natural Gas Line Explosion
Five workers have been injured when a natural gas line exploded in a residential neighborhood southeast of Houston. The blast occurred as a CenterPoint Energy contractor was working along a line Thursday.
Blast Injures 14 on Saipem-Operated Ship in Caspian Sea
An explosion occurred Wednesday evening on the vessel “Israfil Huseynov” operated by Saipem for pipelaying in the Caspian Sea in the framework of the Shah Deniz II project.
Report: Blaze Engulfs 2 Iranian Pipelines, 5 Workers Injured
Iran's official IRNA news agency says firefighters have brought under control a blaze that engulfed two oil and gas pipelines in southwestern, oil-rich Khuzestan province.
Congress Begins to Consider Changes to Pipeline Safety Law
Stephen Barlas, Contributing Editor, Washington, D.C. Congress had its first hearings in April in both the House and Senate on reauthorization of the Pipeline Safety Act, which loses its current authority Sept. 30, 2019. There will perhaps be some new safety requirements passed given that both De..
Mass. Budgets Statewide Review of Natural Gas Systems
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker signed a spending bill that funds a statewide examination of Massachusetts’ natural gas distribution system, a review that was ordered after last September’s gas explosions near Boston that killed one person, injured 25 others and damaged or destroyed dozens of build..
TANAP’s Seismic Fault Crossing Posed Challenges For Welding
The Trans Anatolia Natural Gas Pipeline transports Azeri gas from the Shah Deniz field through Turkey and Europe. Construction of the technically challenging project was complicated by the North Anatolian Fault.
Letter from PRCI President Cliff Johnson: Investing in Research to Improve Pipeline Safety
Pipeline Research Council International (PRCI) exists as a way for its members, who are pipeline operators, service providers and other industry stakeholders, to collectively and collaboratively, conduct research, develop, and evaluate new and emerging technologies that have the potential to improve..
Mariner East 1 Pipeline Operational Again
Energy Transfer LP announced that effective Monday, April 23 Mariner East 1 pipeline has resumed operations. The 350-mile, 8-inch NGL pipeline transports NGLs across Southern Pennsylvania to Energy Transfer’s Marcus Hook Industrial Complex in Delaware County, PA.
API-AOPL Annual Report Shows Liquids Pipeline Incidents Down Significantly
The American Petroleum Institute (API), in coordination with the Association of Oil Pipe Lines (AOPL) has released the 2019 API-AOPL Liquids Pipeline Performance Report, which details a 20% decrease in liquids pipeline incidents impacting people or the environment over the last five years despite increases in both pipeline mileage and barrels delivered.
Mass. Budgets Statewide Review of Natural Gas Systems
Gov. Charlie Baker has signed a spending bill that funds a statewide examination of Massachusetts’ natural gas distribution system. The review was ordered after the Sept. 13 gas explosions that killed one person, injured 25 others and damaged or destroyed dozens of buildings in the Merrimack Valley.
Con Edison Halts Gas Hookups, Citing Interstate Pipeline Constraints
Consolidated Edison Inc said it will impose a moratorium on new natural gas service in parts of New York's Westchester County to protect system reliability due to limited space on interstate pipelines to the region.
At Least 5 Killed in Iran Gas Pipeline Explosion
A gas pipeline explosion in southwestern Iran killed at least five people and injured six, the Tasnim news agency reported.
Andax
Andax Andax introduced the Xtreme Shell Pipe Flange Containment System, a reusable, hard containment shell designed to fully enclose a pipe flange, manifold or any other leak point. The drain hose diverts the leak to a closed container, thereby reducing the potential dange..
Pure Safety Group
Pure Safety Group Pure Safety Group (PSG) unveiled its Guardian Fall Protection S1 safety harness, which is the first in a series of innovative new harnesses designed with three levels of features for various work scenarios. All harnesses meet OSHA standards, while exceedi..
Unwanted Night Moves
Whenever the subject of internal corrosion in pipelines comes up, it rekindles some unpleasant memories from my extensive time as a pipeline company spokesperson. Being part of an emergency response team for over 12 years was rewarding in many ways, but there was always an uneasy feeling when the phone would ring in the middle of the night.
PHMSA and Advisory Group Finalizing New Safety Program
A Voluntary Information Sharing (VIS) advisory group, working with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), voted to recommend a new, industry-wide safety reporting program in which employees, in a “no-fear” environment, would report pipeline operational and infrastructure risks and hazards. Reports would be “de-identified” and centralized. The goal is that potential problems would be found and corrected before they worsened, possibly becoming emergency situations.
Storage Tanks Explode at Venezuela Heavy Oil Project
Two storage tanks have exploded at the Petro San Felix heavy-crude upgrading project in eastern Venezuela, according to an oil industry source and a legislator.
Panhandle Eastern Capacity Reduced by Missouri Pipeline Blast
Energy Transfer said it has reduced mainline capacity on its Panhandle Eastern Pipe Line system after a fiery rupture downstream of its Centralia Compressor Station. The blast caused no serious injuries, but power to several homes was interrupted, authorities said.
Pipeline Management Office Proves Beneficial to Pipeline Digs
The Digs Project Management Office (PMO) is often referred to as the “Big PMO” because of its sheer volume of work and its potential effect to the pipeline assets and its stakeholders.
Ensuring LNG Liquefaction Facilities’ System Tightness
By Nirmal Surendran Menon, Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), New Zealand System “tightness testing” is the last stage before inerting (the introduction of a non-combustible gas into a closed system) and the introduction of hydrocarbon and is a vital safety step in the start-up sequence..
Combined Flaws Represent Key Danger to Pipelines
Sergey Zubin, chief engineer of Transneft Diascan, discusses the importance of detecting “combined flaws,” or those that occur in close proximity on the pipeline, with Pipeline & Gas Journal.
Advanced Analytics Can Help Boost Pipeline Performance
Leveraging existing operational data as well as new data sources available as part of a digital transformation can provide great opportunities to significantly improve performance through better asset reliability, efficiency and safety performance.
CEPA Seeks Common Ground on Bill C-69
Canada’s energy transmission pipeline companies are clear on what amendments they would like to see, and we ask the Canadian government to take the time to get this right.
Missouri Leak Prompts Closure of Parts of 2 Oil Pipelines
An oil leak near St. Louis prompted the closure of parts of two pipelines as crews work to determine the source, company officials and Missouri regulators said.
San Francisco Gas Explosion Shoots Fire that Burns Buildings
A gas explosion in a San Francisco neighborhood shot flames into the air for hours Wednesday and burned five buildings, sending panicked residents and workers fleeing into the streets. It took utility crews more than two hours to put out the fire after private construction workers cut a natural gas line, igniting the towering flames.
4 Activists Arrested Attempting to Shut Down Oil Pipeline
Four climate-change activists from the Catholic Worker movement were arrested in an attempt to shut down an Enbridge's Line 4 oil pipeline in north-central Minnesota.
Subsea Bayesian Networks – Integrity and Risk Assessments
If high levels of safety and environmental protection in the subsea oil and gas sector are to be maintained, then understanding the risks involved is more important than ever. But it has never been more difficult necessary to optimize IMR activities than it is now.
- FERC Approves TC Energy's 1,377-Mile West Coast Pipeline Expansion
- Kinder Morgan to Buy NextEra’s 462-Mile Texas Pipeline System for $1.8 Billion
- Williams' Gas Pipeline in Idaho Ruptures, Company Challenges Explosion Allegations
- Biden Awards $7 Billion in Hydrogen Hub Money to 16 States
- Mountain Valley Pipeline Sues Protesters Hindering $7.2 Billion Construction Project
- UAE's ADNOC Awards $17 Billion of Contracts for Gas Project, Including Subsea Pipelines
- HVO: Fuel for the Future
- Analysis: Canada May Struggle to Recoup $26 Billion Cost of Trans Mountain Pipeline
- Biden Awards $7 Billion in Hydrogen Hub Money to 16 States
- TC Energy Names Ex-CEO as Chair of Oil Pipeline Business
